Victory!

During the actual election night, we were in a rural community called Suchitoto where our professor, Sister Peggy, runs a community center called the Centro de Arte Para la Paz (the Center for Peace through the Arts). Leading up to the confirmed victory of Mauricio Funes (the presidential candidate of the FMLN), the streets were packed with people cheering and chanting in their FMLN gear.

Fireworks were lit off a-plenty.

At the local bar in our neighborhood, everyone packed in around one little tiny TV. Their red and white FMLN t-shirts say "Nace la esperanza, Viene el cambio" (Hope is being born, Change is coming).When Mauricio's victory was confirmed, people ran, drove and marched through the streets waving FMLN flags and chanting "El Pueblo, Unido, Jamas Sera Vencido" (The people, united, will never be defeated). This is the first time since El Salvador has been a country that it has ever had a left-wing, non-oppressive leader in power. It is also the first fraudless election El Salvador has ever had. What I'm trying to say is, it's kind of a big deal.

Elections!

As previously mentioned, we were living in the capital city of El Salvador during the time leading up to the 2009 presidential elections. So, we got to to hear some representatives from each party speak to the internationalists that came in to observe the election.

If my memory serves me, this is a representative from the left-wing party, the FMLN, discussing the party's economic policy shizzle.

My beautiful roommate, my beautiful self, and our housemate Eric.

Our beautiful program directors!! Rebekah, Chepito, and Cesar!!! <3!!

Nueva Esperanza

On our second weekend, the whole group visited another christian base community called Nueva Esperanza. This is the entrance to the town. The mural says, more or less, "we build the free people"

This is the Pastoral Center, which is pretty much the community center in this community. It's across the street from the church and it has an eco-tourism lodge built in where volunteers and visitors can stay. We stayed with families in the community, but we ate our meals here as a group. This picture is of the outside of the kitchen. The mural says "Men and women of the corn, rise up for your earth"

During the tour of the town, we visited the day care/pre-school center. The pictures are just too freaking cute not to post.

They did a little dance show for us.

A few of the dancers tried to woo my friend Alex. Although they're cute and love knows no bounds, I think he might be a little old for them.

The town is economically based on co-ops; every member has their own plot of personal land to survive on, and every member contributes to the maintenance of the communal coconut, sugar cane, corn and livestock/dairy co-ops. This is the coconut plantation!

Two members of the dairy and livestock co-op out for a walk.

San Luis Mariona

There are intentional communities called "Base Christian Ecclesial Communities" based around the liberationist church in El Salvador. On my first weekend, I visited one called San Luis Mariona. In Mariona, my host mom, Otilia, runs a therapeutic meditation and massage therapy center to help heal her post-war community. This picture is the meditation room, where people sit around images of martyrs who give them spiritual strength.

This is a tapestry on the wall in the meditation room.

In the meditation house, there is also a shop that sells the products of several local cooperatives; the products in this picture were made as a form of art therapy by a cooperative of ex-convicts.

This is my host sister, Karen. I want to keep her.

First Stop: The Capital City

So, when we got to El Salvador, our first order of business was to get acquainted with the big city, in which we'd be living for our four weeks here. This picture is the inside of the Cathedral in downtown San Salvador. Pretty groovy take on stained glass, no?

We visited the home and workplace of a man named Oscar Romero. This man was the archbishop of El Salvador in the seventies, before which he was very conservative
and completely supported the crony capitalist exploitation of the masses. However, during his time as archbishop, he began to recognize the significance of the people, and so he dedicated his life to offering a voice to the poor and repressed. This practice is known in El Salvador
as Liberation Theology. Shortly after his transformation, he was assassinated by
the government along with several other religious social advocates. Around this time, the twelve-year long civil war was going on. This mural is in memory of these events.

After Romero's death, six other liberationists priests who lived and worked
to actualize his mission were also brutally murdered by the government outside their
shared home. Their bodies were left on display on their front lawn, with brain matter
and other innards exposed as a threat to other revolutionary thinkers that liberationist
ideas should die with these men. The remains of their brains are in these jars, preserved with the memory and continuation of their work, along with the clothing they were wearing when they died.

Inside the chapel at the Romero center, where these six men were murdered,
there exists the objective never to forget or ignore the suffering of the people at the hands of oppression. Furthermore, there exists the objective never to allow anyone to forget that suffering until it no longer exists.

In order to achieve this goal, the chapel has posted images of suffering on its walls based on historical accounts of violence. Why is this a big deal? Because I have never, ever in my life seen
Catholicism even attempt to look the harsh reality in the eye. It's graphic, and it's hard to see - but at least it's true.

Antigua Means Ancient in Spanish

On the drive to El Salvador, we stopped off in a
town called Antigua. It is also surrounded by volcanoes.

It has two churches. This one faces the town square.

This one is to the side of the town square.

This tapestry was for sale in the town's marketplace.

Lake-cation

During a free weekend, some friends and I
visited Lago Atitlan. That means Lake Atitlan.
It's surrounded by volcanoes; in the background is one of them.

We tried to take a jumping picture on the beach.
This one failed. . . OR it was even better.

By the lake, there's a town called San Marcos
That's spanish for "Hippie Mecca".
In San Marcos, there's a cafe called the Elephant Bar.
This is it.

There's an artist by the lake
who makes jewelry from found metal objects
with designs cut in them.

Oh, my favorite part.
We went to a bar called "Pana-Rock Cafe"
in a town called Panajachel.
"Pana-Rock Cafe" like, "Guatemalan Version of Hard Rock Cafe".
Inside, they emulated Hard Rock Cafe
by playing Michael Jackson concert videos.

The Widow's Co-op

In Chichicastenango, there is a cooperative of widows
whose husbands were killed in the Guatemalan civil war.
They weave pretty things.

This one's name is Anastacia.

They dressed me in traditional Mayan clothing.

It looked funny cos my normal clothing
was underneath.

They started offering tailoring lessons
to the young men in the community in order to
provide them with employment opportunities.
Now it's a sister cooperative of tailors.

Chichicastenango

On market day, people selling flowers gather
on the steps of the church.

This is Jeremiah and one of his friends.
He makes stuffed animals.
He's my favorite Guatemalan kid.

Traditional Guatemalan band playing
the mirimba - that huge xylophony thing.

Ladies in my group
listening to mirimba music and making faces.

Market Town

We visited a town called Chichicastenango with a massive Sunday
market place. On the left, you'll see the front steps of the church.
Straight ahead, you'll see the town.

Hand made candles for religious ceremonies.

There are murals on the wall commemorating the civil war.
This one says "yesterday and today".

"weavers of peace"
(Textiles are a huge market in this town).

"the critical eye"

This is a Guatemalan Glass Factory

In the Guatemalan countryside, we visited a glass factory!
This is the oven they use to cool the glass off in after pieces are finished.
The glass starts off at about 1700 Celsius, and takes at least 24 hours to cool off
in this oven so it doesn't shatter from temperature shock.

Members of the cooperative at work.

Yup. Workin it.

Oh, and me. . . also workin it!!!
You probably can't tell, but I'm sweating
like an unrealistic cartoon character in this picture.
Cute, right?

This is the glass they use at the factory, before it's used.
It's all recycled from bottles and stuff - they sort it
into different color piles before they melt it down.
This place is freaking cool.